Echoes From The Past
by EvilLittlePixie
Summary: Cube and Combo's old Grind City team mates are coming to visit, but the GGs recieve more visitors than they expected. Who is Echo, and what is her story? And who is the person behind all the mysterious rudie attacks? T for language, pairings undecided.
1. Unexpected

**Chapter 1 - Unexpected**

**Disclaimer:** C'mon, It doesn't take a genius to figure out that I don't own Jet Set Radio (don't we all wish we did?). All characters and places are © Sega except my OCs. Go figure :P.

**Panther POV**

I could feel the eyes burning into the back of my neck, glaring fiercely. The seats Cube had booked for us just so happened to be in the midst of a group of elderly travellers, who were constantly scrutinising me and Bass. I knew that they could hear the loud music escaping from my headphones, and the fact that the sound was amplified twice over didn't help the situation. To make matters worse, Bass just couldn't sit still- he would spend a minute impatiently tapping his foot, before switching to drumming his fingers on the padded armrest. I was unable to stop myself watching this pattern from the corner of my eye, and it was seriously bugging me.

Eventually, I was unable to bear it any longer, and sharply elbowed my companion, receiving a muttered obscenity and an evil glance. However, I was relieved to find that Bass refrained from moving again, and I settled back in my seat, knocking the volume on my radio up a few notches- this earned a few titters from the party behind me, and I rolled my eyes. I was going to kill Cube when we reached Tokyo-to. For the old ladies, for making Bass get on a plane, for killing my silver skates all those years ago, for- well, lets just say that me and Cube had a lot to settle.

Not that we weren't friends- no, me and Cube were real close. Actually, all four of us from Grind City were. You didn't just make a rudie team with anyone- you had to have some connection, some understanding. We had that, me, Cube, Bass and Combo. We left on good terms, and we never stopped speaking- which was why we were on our way to Cube and Combo's new home right now. As a matter of fact, I had always wanted to go to Tokyo-to. If it hadn't have been for Bass, I would have left with Cube and Combo. But Bass was my brother, and I couldn't just leave him behind. He was way too young back then, only nine years old. The only reason he was even a rudie was because all our family were gone, and I couldn't take him to some strange place on a whim at that age, he wouldn't be able to take it. And so, that was how we ended up here, me and a now thirteen year old Bass.

Through my headphones, I could just hear the chime-like tune that signified an announcement, and spotted the seatbelt light above me glow fluorescent green. I sighed in relief- we were landing. I could finally escape the portable old ladies' home and grind a couple of rails... I spotted Bass' relieved expression out of the corner of my eye, and knew he was dreaming of skating too. I tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped, slightly startled. I grinned, pointing at the misshapen bags at our feet.

"Race when we get out of here, bro?" I asked, laughing as he grinned and nodded his brunette head excitedly. I took hold of my only luggage for the journey- a drawstring bag containing essentials and, of course, my skates. Bass had even less luggage than me, and it was already in his arms. Bass himself was practically already out of his seat, now tapping his foot again. This time, I couldn't bring it upon myself to stop him- I was getting slightly impatient too. I could see the bright sunlight district of Shibuya-cho not far below, and I was unable to hide my excitement at being there any longer.

The hostess announced our arrival, and us two siblings were out of our seats in a split second, tearing down the aisle and diving out of the door. People screeched and dived out of our path, causing me to giggle. Here, I didn't even have to wear skates to make a scene. I spotted a bench up ahead and kicked off my shoes, perching on the edge of the red wood to strap my feet into the blue, black and silver skates. Beside me, my brother was hastily attaching his own, trying to catch up with me. I was already out of my seat and dashing out of the airport by the time his skates were attached, the sun filling my vision. I pointed to the billboard approximately two minutes away.

"First one there claims... Eternal bragging rights!" I sped back up with an exhilarated laugh, knowing my win was guaranteed. My brother was good- I would know, I'd taught him- but there was no way he could catch up with me when I was already ahead. Of course, I was right- I reached the billboard first, satisfied and smug. I had to give it to Bass, he wasn't far behind at all. Of course, Bass didn't see it this way. He just glared at me, chanting, "Cheater," under his breath. I rolled my eyes, pulling my sulking brother away from the bright neon sign.

It was then that I heard the noise. It was only small, and I wouldn't have heard it if the song on my radio hadn't have been in the process of changing. It sounded like a clatter, the sound of something falling, followed by a small, suppressed groan. I glanced at Bass suspiciously, but he just shrugged, looking genuinely confused. I knew I had heard _something,_ so I wasn't about to let it go and walk away. I spotted some alleyways between the brightly coloured houses, and concluded that it must have come from one of those. Bass was giving me a funny look, and I glared back, even though I knew he was being perfectly rational. My search came up with nothing, until I turned away and caught sight of something moving in an alley across the way...

**? POV**

The sunlight was too bright, even just the thin strip that was shining down on me. I reached up to touch my face, hissing in pain as my fingers brushed the open wound, sending fresh blood trickling out from it. I couldn't move, my leg trapped beneath me at an awkward angle. I attempted to dislodge it with my arms, but with my legs sheathed in skates, it was near impossible to lift my leg with the little strength I had left. As I moved my arm, I noticed another cut, this one longer and deeper. I cursed, noticing that the blood had soaked into my woollen jumper.

I hated living like this. I felt trapped in my own body, a puppet for those who thought they were bigger than me. And there was no-one I felt more trapped by than _her._ No matter what I did, she just wouldn't leave. At times, I was even tempted to try throwing myself off one of the buildings in the skyscraper district- but I knew she wouldn't allow that. And even so, whenever I got hurt, she always seemed to be perfect- I'd be leaving the world with an unguarded psycho. I couldn't do that... It just wasn't moral.

Just as I was about to give in, about to resign to the fact that I would have to let her take control, I heard the scrape of skates against concrete, and the sound of voices moving closer. I cursed lightly, realising they must have heard my earlier attempt to get up. _No, no, don't come closer... _These idiots were going to find me. Didn't they know what they were _doing_? There was no way I would choose _her_ over outside help, but at the same time I desperately _didn't_ want any. It would only bring them trouble.

The raven-haired girl at the front could see me by now, I could tell by her expression, taking in the cuts and scratches. The boy beside her was openly gaping, and I wished they would both stop staring. I could hear _her _in the back of my mind. She was giving me the choice, taunting me with freedom- but only because she knew that either way would be good for her. _Bitch, _I thought spitefully. I could almost feel her smiling as the two rudies walked forward, blocking the sunlight from the alley.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, kneeling down so she could inspect the damage closer. I didn't answer, turning my head away slightly. She ignored this, turning to her companion. "Her leg looks broken, Bass. We should probably take her to the garage... One of Cube's team mates might be able to help." I frowned, quite nervous now. If they took me to a gang of skaters, I was in serious danger of being found out. _She _was fast, and I didn't _think _anyone had ever seen her, but if they had, we were both in trouble. I knew the two skaters wouldn't just walk away now, so I would just have to hope and pray until we got there.

Between them, the two lifted me, seemingly ignorant of the fact that I hadn't given them permission- actually, I hadn't spoken a single word since they had found me. In a strange, slow precession, we began to move towards one of the many exits out of Shibuya Terminal. The girl kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, as if she had some undying question she wanted to ask. _Just get it over with already, _I thought. She finally answered my unspoken prayer, thank goodness.

"So... What's your name?" I sighed. Many had asked that, and it was one question I had major trouble with. Which name to tell her? She would undoubtedly meet both of us at some point. I sighed, hoping that Velocity would give me some space this time, deciding to give her my original name, the one I actually classed as my own.

"It's Echo." The girl nodded, not asking another question after that. Suddenly, the landscape began to change, the road fading off into chequered blue-and-white flooring. Music floated out from ahead, and I could make out a large group of people milling around a sort of open room filled with old furniture and large speakers.

The girl next to me seemed to spot someone she recognised, and called out, "Cube!". The entire group seemed to turn, first smiling, then frowning.

"Uhm, Cube? I thought you said there were gonna be two of them, yo..."

**Cube POV**

I turned as I heard my name called out, the voice sounding familiar. I spotted Panther and Bass at the Shibuya Terminal entrance, and I smiled and waved, pleased to see my old team mates. I didn't notice the third figure right away, though I probably should have- her hair was a brazen shade of pink, standing out clearly next to the dark hair of the two siblings. The thing that stood out most of all on the girl were the deep cuts all over her body, and the dark expression on her face.

"Uhm, Cube? I thought you said there were gonna be two of them, yo..." I could hear Yoyo behind me, but I didn't answer him. He knew what I'd said. The three skaters had manoeuvred around the railings and across the passage connecting the central garage to the exits, and came to a halt before the GGs.

"Hey, sorry about this, Cube, but we found her in Shibuya, and we couldn't just leave her there," Panther smiled apologetically, "I hope you don't mind. She says she's called Echo." Cube nodded, and a rudie wearing a tall hat and baggy pants stepped forwards, inspecting the damage on the girl.

"She's pretty badly hurt, she's gonna have to stay here for a while," He gestured for Panther and Bass to hand her over, and he began to take her towards the shade. "Yoyo, go get me some bandages and stuff." The green haired teen shot off towards one of the old, discarded shelves, and began rummaging through it. I looked back to my two old team mates, and grinned slightly, letting out a laugh.

"Is it just me, or does stuff like this happen whenever you two are around?" Panther smiled, laughing with me.

"I guess it does," She agreed, looking around the garage, "But where's Combo?" I smiled, knowing she was wondering how she could possibly miss our tall friend, even amongst all these skaters.

"He's out tagging with a couple of our other members, he'll be back soon." I said, and she nodded.

"So..."

**Echo POV**

"Done." Corn finished tying the last bandage around my arm, moving back to admire his work. "You're gonna have to stay on the sofa for a while, we don't have any beds or anything." I nodded slightly, but didn't speak. It never seemed to take long for people to realise that I wasn't going to be sociable, and this time wasn't any different- it was only about a minute before Corn skated off. I sighed, trying to get comfortable on the battered red sofa. What was I going to do? Should I stay, or should I just let Velocity take over and get out of here before it got worse?

"So, what happened to you, yo?" I blinked in surprise at the voice that came from nearby, and I spotted the source on the other sofa. It was that kid with the weird glasses who had been helping Corn with my injuries before. I just sighed.

"It's a long story." The skater still stayed were he was.

"I got time," He said, but I shook my head, giving him an apologetic smile. I knew he meant well, but it really was for the best. I'd be kicked out of here, injuries or not, if they all knew- and although that didn't really bother me, I didn't want people hating me for something that wasn't even my own fault.

"That's ok, yo," The boy grinned, standing up and holding out his hand to me. "I'm Yoyo." Cautiously, I reached out and shook his hand. He laughed, "No, yo, I'm taking you downstairs to meet everyone." He pulled me up, supporting me around the shoulders.

"I don't know..." I said. I didn't really want more people as acquaintances. Every person I met was just someone else to protect from Velocity.

I had been so deep in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that Yoyo had already led me down the stairs and to the group of rudies chatting in the sunlight. I let out a resigned sigh. I was going to have some serious problems very soon... But it was to late now. I greeted all the people I was directed to, trying to keep a smile plastered on my face. It was such a shame- they all seemed nice, the sort of people I used to hang out with... The sort of people I had once had to betray, and would soon have to again.

And so, that was how I ended up sat on the floor, as a girl who said her name was Rhyth searched for some clothes for me. My own were completely beyond repair, and she had insisted on choosing some for me. It turned out that the girls of the "GGs" (as I had found out the gang was called) all shared one of the old wardrobes, and inside was a wide array of old rudie clothes and tattered skates. My own skates were currently beside Rhyth, as she was determined to make me an outfit that "matched me". I didn't really mind, she seemed really excited to have someone to dress. It made me smile to see someone get so happy over something so simple.

I eventually ended up wearing a white tube top and a pleated black skirt, held up by a pair of chequered suspenders. Rhyth found me some black-and-white stockings and a pair of black fingerless gloves, and I had my own white and silver skates on. I began to get a little apprehensive when she began to talk about doing something with my hair, but luckily, Corn came to my rescue, declaring that I had to go back to my sofa. I quietly thanked him as he led me away from the blue haired rudie, and he laughed.

"She means well, Echo," He said as we clattered up the stairs. I grinned.

"I know, I know, I just don't want people messing with my hair." I fell back onto the sofa, carefully swinging my legs over the arm. The sky was darkening above me, and I could bee some of the skaters below settling into the comfier areas of the garage to crash. Cube, Combo, Panther and Bass were sat by the pinball machine, probably catching up, and Jazz was sat nearby, asleep against the wall. Yoyo was throwing a ball to a small grey-and-white dog, and Rhyth was sat on the dog's kennel, patting the dog whenever it came near her. Most of the other rudies weren't in my line of vision- they were probably in the shade.

As I closed my eyes, listening to the music still coming from the speakers, it suddenly hit me that I hadn't heard anything from Velocity since I had arrived at the garage. That was strange- she usually never left me alone for a second. It felt strangely quiet in my mind without her overbearing presence watching over me. I shook the thoughts out of my head, content to be alone and peaceful even just for a short while. I heard footsteps on the stairs, and craned my neck to see who it was. It was Yoyo.

"Hey, Echo. I'm crashin' on the other sofa, hope you don't mind, yo." I nodded and smiled, and he sat down, flicking on the TV. I had to admit that out of all of them, I minded Yoyo's company the least. I think it was because... Because he reminded me of Tempo... I tried not to think about that too much. I just really hoped that Velocity would behave herself tonight. _Yeah, right..._

**A/N:** Reviews, pretty please? Not that I won't update if you don't review... But I _might _be inspired to update quicker. It would just make my day if you did. Ciao!


	2. Attack

**Chapter 2 – Attack**

**Disclaimer:** Blah dee blah dee blah... Amazingly enough, I don't own JSR! I only own Echo/Velocity, Panther and Bass. Now read! Pretty please?

**Love Shocker POV**

The sky was dark above Hikage Street as we skated towards the abandoned house we called home. The girls were all exhausted- we had ran into Poison Jam in Rokkaku-Dai, and it hadn't been easy to escape. Those fish-faced losers may smell awful, but it didn't make them any less powerful. Terra had been gotten pretty badly; she was being supported by her elder sister and our only uninjured member. By now, it was late enough for us not to worry about being attacked, and we were moving slowly.

I began to think something was wrong when I felt the breeze. The summer night was warm, humid, and there was certainly no wind. I welcomed the breeze, at least until I felt something razor sharp tear into the skin on my arm. I cried out, and the others froze, startled by the sound. I saw a flash of pink, then another stab of pain. I could not see the attacker- just flashes of colour, and the loud sound of skates moving at an extreme speed. The attacker laughed manically, striking out again and again.

In no time at all, two of our members had fallen, and us remaining two were supporting each other, covered in deep gashes. My breath was coming in quick gasps, and I knew I couldn't keep it up much longer. Another cut sliced into my stomach, and I doubled over in pain. My team mate pulled me back up, backing up to the wall. I suddenly heard the sound of a spray can being sprayed, and felt the paint enter my open wounds. I screamed, falling to the ground. I glanced back up, my vision blurred. A final flash of pink went past my eyes.

"'Night, sweetheart..."

**Panther POV**

The light filtered through my closed eyelids, and I heard the radio, still playing through my headphones. Beside me, Bass was snoring loudly, the sound knocking me out of my post-sleep haze. Knowing I was now awake, whether I liked it or not, I opened my eyes. Many of the GGs were already awake, and I could see that the TV was on upstairs. I heard manic bells as the pinball machine went off, I looked up to see the guy called Clutch playing on it. "Oh yeah, Jazz is gonna _freak _when she sees I beat her high score," He declared smugly, skating off to find the sleeping rudie.

I was beginning to get irked by my brother's snoring, so I checked the time on my watch. _9:15am? Yeah, I'll wake the little twerp... _I stood up and stretched, before walking over to where Combo was, half asleep in the old tub. I poked him with a wry grin. "Oi, Combo, dude, where's the water?" With a sleepy groan, he waved in the direction of the fridge. I thanked him, and quickly skated over to it, grabbing one of the chilled bottles. With an evil grin, I tiptoed back over to my brother, unscrewing the cap. _3, 2, 1..._ I emptied the entire contents of the bottle over his head, and he squealed like a little girl. Nearby GGs groaned, complaining about being woken up. I saw Echo looking over the edge of the sofa from above, wide eyed. I cracked up, backing away and chucking the bottle at his head. "Morning bro," I grinned brightly. He glared at me, standing up and shaking the water off himself. The damp rudie opened his mouth to yell at his sister, but was cut off by the music on the radio coming to an unexpected halt.

"_Yo, yo, yo, this is your one and only DJ PROFESSOR K, here to give you the low-down on the streets and blow your mind with my outta-sight sounds!" _I turned to the speakers thoughtfully, realising that this must be the famous pirate radio station Cube had told us so much about. _"Word on the street is that the Looove Shockers just got exterminated! From what I heard, some craaazy dude came at them and totally tore those scorned lovers to pieces! And I ain't talkin' just paint and fists, I'm talkin' daggers, here!_ _This guy makes the Golden Rhinos seem like teddy bears- they're so fast, not even _I _know who they are. I'll leave you to do the detective work, kids!" _The speech faded into more music, but everyone remained frozen.

"What the..."

**Echo POV**

Crap. She'd struck without me even _knowing. _That alone was enough to send me into panic mode, but the thing that made me worry the most was the fact that her assault had been broadcast all around Tokyo-to. All the others were in shock. I'm pretty sure that they were pissed that after all their hard work getting rid of Rokkaku's goons, that _another _threat had arrived. Velocity was basking in the in the mess she had created, and I despised her even more for it. I _knew _something like this would happen. Of _course _no-one had seen her. She was the perfect weapon. It was like living with a freaking time bomb in my mind.

The only good thing about all of us finding out this way was that my mood didn't attract any attention. I'm sure that if it hadn't been announced on the radio, Velocity would have chosen the most inappropriate time to tell me, ruining my cover. At least she couldn't keep this as another way to control me, and for that, I was beyond thankful to Professor K. There was just one massive problem- I knew she wasn't finished. The small, spiteful voice laughed. _You got that damn right, sugar..._

"Echo? Yoyo?" I looked up, blinking. Corn and Gum were stood by the stairs, spray cans in their hands. "We're going to see how much we can find out about this Love Shocker stuff. Can you two keep an eye on the garage?" Yoyo nodded, and I managed to reply, "Sure," quietly. Corn nodded, and the two skaters retreated back down the stairs. I heard orders being shouted out below, and skaters moving off in small groups. When the last pair of skates had sounded against the floor, I saw Yoyo stand up.

"D'you wanna go downstairs, yo?" I looked up at him, not having a single clue what he had just said. I was too busy insulting Velocity. "...You know, to practice some tricks and stuff, yo. You're gonna need to practice walking on that leg, too." He offered me a hand, and I took it, finding that I was able to stand more easily than before.

In the end, I gave up on trying to walk- it was pretty impossible when the injury had only been sustained a day previously, and instead, I sat and watched while Yoyo practised his tricks. Currently, I was sat at the end of the half pipe, my legs dangling down, while Yoyo attempted to improve his hand plant. Apparently, he hadn't needed to use a half pipe in quite a while, and his technique was quite rusty. After about the fifth time he fell, I took pity on him. "You're doing it wrong!" I giggled, and he frowned.

"What do you mean? Roboy said it was like thi- Oh shiiitt..." He had fallen again, and was laid in the bottom of the half pipe. Holding onto the railing behind me so I wouldn't fall, I reached down and pulled the defeated skater up. I grinned.

"I think your memory's playing tricks on you, Yoyo." I laughed, pointing to the edge of the half pipe. "You're not grabbing the edge when you do the trick. Your hand's just flat, so you just fall rather than perform a hand plant." Yoyo gave me a sheepish look.

"I knew that, yo..." I grinned knowingly, but didn't have the heart to make a sarcastic comment as he happily performed a successful hand plant. Painfully, I remembered teaching Tempo the exact same trick...

"You ok, yo?" I blinked, before smiling at him.

"Yeah, I'm good. I guess..." Yoyo grabbed onto the edge of the flooring and hauled himself up next to me.

"C'mon, spill. There's something up with you." I shook my head, turning my head to look him in the eyes.

"I guess you could say that it's... Complicated." _And you have no idea _how _complicated._ He nodded understandingly, but still looked curious. I coughed lightly. "So, what's your story?" He cocked his head to the side, then grinned.

"Basically, I joined the GGs, got kidnapped, had an evil clone, got rescued and helped to save the world from that maniac Rokkaku." I grinned. At least I wasn't the only one around here with issues. "If you've been around Tokyo for a while, you might have heard about that, though." I shook my head.

"I've always lived here, but I... Well, I haven't been out much recently." Well, it wasn't a lie. Velocity was the one who had been in control throughout the past few months, so I wasn't exactly well informed on recent events.

"Yeah? Why's that, yo?" I looked down at my feet.

"As I said, it's complicated." When I looked back, he looked really sad, as if it was because I didn't _like _him or something, because I wouldn't speak. I sighed. "Look, Yoyo, I want to tell you, I really do. It's just not something that gets me much of a popularity vote." She gave him an apologetic glance. "It doesn't bring back many good memories either. You can understand that, right?" He nodded, back to his seemingly ever-happy self. I suddenly heard skates on the ground, and realised the others were back. With Yoyo supporting me again, we skated over to the main garage to hear the news.

***

My vision was hazy, as if I was looking through a sheet of fog. The hands that strapped my skates on were not my own; the thoughts and plans for the evening not of my creation. I tried to stop my body from moving, but she was much stronger than me. I felt her reach beneath the sofa, where my possessions were being kept. From my old jumper, she extracted a sharp, silver dagger, and she slotted it into her belt along with a spray can. I was screaming at her to stop, but she continued, so indifferent that it appeared she could not hear me at all.

Of course, I knew she _could, _she just chose not to listen. She knew where her loyalties lied, and she would never listen to me. After all, they created her, gave her a body to live in. She never forgot that. She made no sound at all as she leaped off the raised platform, landing on the floor gracefully, before shooting off towards 99th Street. Even though I despised Velocity, I did love the feeling of going at such a speed. I just hated the fact that she sped around Tokyo-to, daring to act like she owned my body.

She leaped out from the highway, not even bothering to use the dragon. I felt her smile as she spotted Rapid 99 on top of Benten Tower. Only two of the members were there, but she didn't care- any prey was good prey to her. Velocity didn't pause to think twice, moving in a single, fluid motion. She spun in mid-air, retrieving her dagger and slicing into the closest skater. The unsuspecting girl cried out, causing her friend to jump. Velocity circled around the tower, alternately spraying and slicing, spraying and slicing. I noticed that she took care to catch the roof of the tower as well as the two girls with her paint, and I wondered what she was up to.

I only found out when the second girl fell. Sprayed across the floor and over the two Rapid 99 girls was Velocity's tag, impossible to miss in the bright neon lighting. Did she fucking _want _to get caught? Velocity giggled, throwing herself off the tower and into a large crowd. Spray can in her hand, she began tagging over all the 99th Street tags, using her brightest, most obvious designs. Was she stupid? Never before had she disobeyed orders, done something like this- _she_ injured, _they_ left her, no, both of us alone. This was just asking for trouble off them and rudies alike.

It was then that she acknowledged my existence. _You always say you feel trapped, _she said, _and you think that I'm trapped too, trapped by them. But you know what? _She dove into the air, almost as if she was flying. The wind rushed past us, and for a moment, I felt it too- the pure joy of having such agility. _I don't maim for them, and they don't have a hold over me. _If we were separate people, I knew she would be smiling at me._ I'm free... And if you let people in rather than being so closed, you would be too, Echo._

Her speech almost reached me too. But there was just one problem. She didn't mind being branded a killer- it was what made her happy. But I did. People wouldn't understand. And so everything she had ever done, everything that made her _free_, formed the manacles that kept me from that same freedom. _No, _I said. I didn't have to say anything more. Admitting to the fact that I could never be free was more heartbreaking than I had ever imagined it would be, even though I had known it all along. I could tell there was more she wanted to say, but she suddenly froze, as if she had seen something terrible. And she had.

"What the _hell _are _you _doing here, Hayashi?" She spat, landing on the ground of the dimly-lit alleyway. The officer laughed, running his fingers over his gun.

"I could ask you the same thing, Velocity... Or is it Echo?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Not that it would matter. Both of you _should _be dead." Velocity's eyes widened, and Echo would have gasped if she were in control of her body. _He_ had tried to kill them? Velocity wasn't stunned- she was pissed.

"I thought we had an agreement, you bastard." She spat at him, lunging forwards. He pointed the gun in her face, tutting.

"You always did have such a temper, Velocity. It would be a shame for it to get you killed- oh, wait, it already did." She scoffed, laughing in his face.

"You think rubber bullets are gonna kill me? You are deluded. And if my temper's the reason, I've got a target on my head, then you're even more stupid than I first thought." He held up one of the gun's refills- they were real. I swore, but Velocity just grinned, speeding off into the shadows. In reality, she was just looping around Hayashi, but she was impossible to see.

"I think you forgot, my dear Hayashi-" She was grinning, and the cop was glancing around nervously for the source of her voice, "You designed me to be the fastest person in Tokyo-to. I'm the perfect weapon for you..." She paused tauntingly, "And now I'm the perfect weapon to be used against you." He grinned.

"Not now, when we have our master back..." Velocity frowned as she shot off into the air. Just before she was out of hearing range, Hayashi called out to her, "You'll never be accepted... There is_ nowhere_ for you to go." She laughed, the words not reaching her in the slightest. No words ever did.

"Why, my dear Hayashi, I have _everywhere _to go!" Even though we were well out of his reach, I couldn't help feeling uneasy. I knew Hayashi, and even though he was terrible at his job, he wasn't one to be careless. Maybe I was just over thinking it, but either way, I knew he would have something else up his sleeve. I knew Velocity wasn't thinking of it that way- she was just content with the fact that, in her mind, she had won. Winning was all that ever mattered to her.

Velocity was strangely peaceful as she skated down the highway, seemingly forgetting that she had left two fellow skaters battered, broken and tagged on top of a tower. If I had to say one thing about her, it would definitely be that she never ceased to amaze me. I simply couldn't understand why someone so violent and sadistic could be so happy all the time- if I didn't know better, I'd say she was permanently high.

Of course, Velocity could hear all these thoughts, and must have found something funny among them- out of nowhere, she burst out laughing. "Oh, Echo, If you could only hear yourself... Were you always this negative?" She paused thoughtfully, "Or are you just bitter about something? I hear you used to have a team, before I came along... Did they dump you?" The laugh turned cruel. I was so furious, I was unable to answer her. That bitch, that fucking _leech _dared to talk about my past like that? _Leave me ALONE! _I screamed at her, and Velocity stopped laughing, tittering. "Jeez, I was just _joking..._" I refused to speak again after that, and she eventually gave up on trying to make me. "Suit yourself..."

***

"_-Jet Set Radiooo! Got some news for you, boys and girls! The little punk from Hikage Street has struck again, and they left us a little love letter! According to the backs of two Rapid 99 girls, and the roof of Benten Tower, their name is Velocity- and they're coming for _all_ of you!"_

**A/N:** Phew, two chapters in one day? C'mon, a few years ago you wouldn't even have got me to post a sentence! Reviews, please?


	3. Crutches

**Chapter 3 – Crutches**

**Disclaimer:** Anyone want to buy me the rights to JSR? Anyone? Didn't think so. Therefore, I don't own it XD

**Echo POV**

I felt a feather-light touch on my shoulder through my sleepy haze. The hand shook me slightly, muttering something. I groaned, turning so that my head was buried in the cushion of the sofa. Someone laughed, and I heard another voice say, "C'mon, Echo, wake up." I turned back over, forcing my eyes to open. I was unbearably tired from the incident with Velocity last night, and the sleep I _had _gotten hadn't really been restful. Yoyo and a few of the others, including Rhyth and Corn, were smiling down at me. I muttered something obscene at them, and attempted to close my eyes again- but they weren't having any of it.

"Soda, pass me the water." I heard one of the rudies instruct, followed by the snap of a lid being taken off a bottle. My eyes snapped open, and I glared at them.

"You wouldn't dare..." Bass peeked out from behind Yoyo, looking grim.

"They would... Trust me," He said darkly, glaring at his sister. She shrugged, grinning.

"What, he snores. I couldn't take it any more," The dark haired girl giggled, "But never mind that, you're awake!" She said to me. I cursed, realising I had been tricked out of my sleep. Even so, I grinned at them.

"Ok, you got me. What's the gathering for?" I asked, and Yoyo eagerly grinned, practically jumping up and down.

"We're going on a road trip!" I frowned, raising one eyebrow.

"...A road trip?" Yoyo nodded happily. Beside him, Corn shook his head, laughing.

"Don't worry, he's just over exaggerating. We're just gonna visit somewhere in Shibuya, to get you something." I raised both eyebrows now, cocking my head to the side inquisitively. I had met these people, what, two days ago, and now they were giving me presents? Okay...

"Any reason? What did I do?" I laughed.

"You hurt your leg! We're going getting you some crutches." Ah, that was what this was about. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to be able to skate, so I smiled,

"Ok, I'm in." Yoyo grinned and helped me up, and we all began to skate towards the stairs. "So, what are we gonna do, mug a doctor?" I asked sarcastically. Yoyo laughed.

"Nah, but close enough. We're just paying the hospital a little visit." I shrugged.

"Sounds good to me."

***

"Yoyo?" I said, through gritted teeth, "This was _not _a good idea." We- meaning me, Yoyo, Beat and Gum, were all squished into a store cupboard, trying not to make any noise. We had only arrived at the hospital five minutes ago, but Rhyth had knocked over a magazine stand and got us all into a serious mess with the hospital staff. I had _no _idea where she and Corn had disappeared to, but this was seemingly the only hiding place on this floor, and _I _wasn't about to go outside and face the security guards- they were as big as Combo.

Beat didn't seem too unhappy about this- Gum was stood right up against him, and he just relaxed in the corner with a lazy grin on his face. Gum, however, looked pretty pissed off about her current situation, and kept glaring at everyone in the small box, as if it were _our _fault. Yoyo sighed, moving closer to the door, reaching out to open it a crack. I shook my head, "Um, Yoyo, don't open that, we'll-"

But it was too late. As soon as the door was unlocked, we all came flying out, landing in a heap on the floor. I groaned- someone's skate had hit me on the head. I opened my eyes, and in front of me, I saw one of the security guards. "...Oh crap..." I grabbed onto Yoyo as we all made a mad dash for the double doors, the guard in hot pursuit.

"COME BACK HERE _RIGHT _NOW YOU LITTLE-" We slammed the doors shut, quickly locking them at the top and bottom. I flinched as the guard slammed into the door, knocking himself out cold.

"Ok, now we just need to find the others..." As we turned around, we heard skates, followed by Corn and Rhyth skidding around the corner. Each had a pair of crutches. "Do we have two cripples now or something?" I laughed, and Rhyth shook her head.

"Nah, we just didn't know your height, so we got two pairs. We can just leave whichever pair doesn't fit." A few minutes later, I was able to move by myself, and we skated towards the exit, laughing and talking amongst ourselves.

I think I realised something was wrong as soon as we got to the lobby- it was completely empty. Not even the receptionist was there. However, we just ignored the facts in front of us, skating out into the street. It was only once there that we realised- we were completely surrounded by police. I spotted Hayashi in front of one of the police cars, and I swore under my breath. I _knew _he would have something up his sleeve. In just a second, he could completely blow my cover.

The others were all retrieving spray cans from their pockets and belts, but I was still stood there, silently panicking. I couldn't have fought if I wanted to- with both of my hands holding myself up, I had no way to hold any weapon. In the back of my head, Velocity was screaming at me, desperate to take control and fight them. It suddenly hit me that this probably _was_ Hayashi's plan- to draw her out, blowing it for me. If he couldn't destroy life for both of us, I knew he would at least settle for me.

I was _not _having an easy time keeping Velocity from taking control. I searched for a way out of the area, but all I found were electric fences and police cars blocking my path. I backed up against the wall, lowering myself to the floor, and clutching my head in my hands. She couldn't win, she couldn't be tricked into doing this. Maybe she didn't care, maybe she _knew _she was being tricked- it's not as if it would affect her. That was likely. Once again, it came down to the fact that she loved blood more than anything else.

I could hear the others beginning to skate forwards, and the marching footsteps of the police. But suddenly, a voice cut into the air. "Police, retreat." I looked up to see Hayashi, smiling at the group before him. "I'll make you an offer, punks- give us the girl, and we'll let you go." The skaters didn't even consider it for a second, but I saw Gum glance at me questioningly.

"Not gonna happen, yo," Yoyo called out, and the others all nodded. Hayashi smirked.

"Fine, fine, then we'll take her by force. I'm sure the boss would be pleased to receive more rudie scum than he asked for."

"Wait, boss? What are you talk-" But Hayashi had already dissapeared behind the wave of police, and the rudies had no more time to question what he had said. Yoyo skated over to me, pulling me up.

"C'mon, you can't fight, we're gonna have to get you out of here." I didn't answer. The combined effort of moving and attempting to fight off Velocity was taking it's toll on me, and I was having to really concentrate. Yoyo frantically pulled me around the enclosed area, spraying cops every now and then. Up ahead, we spotted a gap imbetween a cop car and an electric fence. "Think you can get through there?" He asked; I nodded distractedly, manoeuvring myself through the gap. When I looked back, he wasn't following me.

"Aren't you coming?" I called out, but he shook his head.

"Gotta help my friends, yo." He grinned. I smiled slightly, before turning back around.

"Be careful..." The words were quiet, but I knew they were loud enough for him to hear. I just hoped that, unlike Tempo before him, he would actually listen to my words.

Once I got to the garage, it was completely empty. Suddenly, I collapsed onto the floor, the effort of everything overwhelming me. I heard Velocity laughing, and felt the strange feeling of numbness that occurred whenever she took charge. "You had a lucky escape, Echo. I have to give it to you, you did well to stop me for that long." Her voice suddenly turned colder, "But you cheated me out of a good fight, and now I'm pissed." Damn. _Now _she was going to do something stupid. Scanning the garage, she spotted a spray can, and I felt her smile. _What are you _doing, _Velocity?_ She ignored me, picking up the yellow can, and shaking it to see if it had paint inside.

With a satisfied smirk, she skated over to the large stretch of wall where the pinball machine was. Velocity was taking special care not to tell me what she was doing- that was never a good sign. She laughed as the paint splashed up the wall, and I saw her message take shape before my eyes. I read it slowly, letter by letter, curve and line. _GGs... You're next! _I tried to make her drop the can, and surprisingly, she did. But then, she moved down to our skates and retrieved her silver dagger. Not even flinching as she sliced her fingertip open, she signed her name next to the tag in her blood. She licked her finger with a cruel giggle, finally letting me take control again.

I crumpled to the floor, cradling my bleeding hand. I couldn't let her do this to them- to Yoyo. She was going to take away the people who I was beginning to think of as friends, my first family in an impossibly long time. And the worst thing was, I knew that I _couldn't_ stop her, no matter how much I wanted to. In my head, she was taunting me with memories of her past strikes, possible futures for the GGs. The Rapid 99 girls on Benten Tower, the four Love Shockers she left bleeding on the floor in Hikage street, the poor rudie who I recall was named Boost, the young kids who had only been beginners... Countless victims ran through my mind, ending on her earliest memory- a blue haired boy, pleading with her to stop.

The last one was the one that made me break down for good. I couldn't believe that she would even bring that up again- did she even know the significance of it? I never told her who it was, but she knew that we had known each other. She used this memory only in special circumstances, when she _really _wanted to get under my skin. She had always said this was her favourite kill, and that the fact it was her very first only made it that much sweeter.

_Did you _love _him, Echo?_ Her voice held no compassion, only spite. _Are you so weak that you still hold onto him? _I tried to shut her voice out, but she wasn't having any of it. _Not that it matters to me... But I'll tear them all apart, just like I did to him. _I knew I couldn't hope for her to go easy on them- she was bored of just inflicting minor damage, it was clear. "I won't let you do this, Velocity..." But she knew that my words held no threat to her. I couldn't do a thing, and she knew it.

**Yoyo POV**

I smiled as I heard her tell me to be careful. It had been a long time since any of the gang had bothered to tell me that- they knew I always seemed to get into trouble regardless. When I looked back to the fight, it was chaotic- I could barely see any of the GGs among the crowds of police. However, my vision was suddenly blocked by a large blue overcoat. Hayashi. I ran into the cop, knocking him over and pointing my spray can in his face. Hayashi just laughed, not even bothering to point that pathetic gun at me.

"I see you got her out of here," He observed calmly. I frowned. It wasn't like Hayashi to be so calm when he failed. Something was definitely up. "I take it she hasn't told you yet, then?" I recoiled slightly, wondering what the hell he was talking about. He smirked. "I didn't think so." I waited for him to elaborate, but he just sat there, smiling up at the sky. _Has this guy got brain damage or something? _Deciding to be safe, I tagged him, but he didn't even react.

By now I was deeply weirded out. I skated towards my friends, who had managed to suppress most of the police. Gum looked up from the cop she was tagging, sighing with relief. "_There _you are. What have you been doing? Sipping iced tea? Go help Rhyth!"

I opened my mouth to retaliate, but she just glared at me, and I though the better of it. I ran into the cop who had jumped on Rhyth and helped her up. "I got Hayashi. But we need to get rid of all these idiots, I need to tell you all something, yo."

Between them, they managed to tag the last few cops, and they all fled from the area. Hayashi seemed to be back to his normal self, yelling at us with his empty threats- I was beginning to think that he had finally lost it. However, I couldn't deny that it was weird that they sent so many cops just to get one rudie. Was Echo _really _hiding something from us?

We began skating in the direction of the garage. "When I got Hayashi before, he was acting all strange, yo." Gum raised an eyebrow.

"Yoyo, Hayashi _always _acts strange. His momma probably threw him down the stairs when he was a kid or something." I shook my head.

"No, I'm serious, yo. He was blabbering about how Echo isn't telling us something." All three skaters looked at me strangely, "Then he just sat there, staring at the sky like a total nutcase, yo." Corn sighed, shaking his head.

"What I'm more worried about is that Hayashi said something about a boss. You don't think that Rokkaku's back, do you?" I frowned.

"I fucking hope not." Gum muttered as we skated into the empty garage, searching around for Echo's bright pink hair. My eyes widened when I saw her, curled up beneath an unfamiliar tag.

"What in the world..." Beat exclaimed, skating over to the wall. I kneeled down where Echo was laid, seemingly unconscious. There was a small streak of blood on the floor next to her hand, and the tip of her finger had been sliced open. "Ok, we have a problem..." Beat said, and I looked up to see what he meant. On the wall, a fluorescent tag stretched out, signed "Velocity" at the end in what appeared to be red ink.

I glanced back down at Echo's bleeding finger, and then at the threatening tag on the wall. "I think Echo had a run in with Velocity, yo." The other three looked down to see what he meant, and he pointed to the blood on her hand. Rhyth cringed, and Beat grimaced.

"Well, it _could _have been worse," Beat commented, but held up his hands defensively when the other four glared at him."Sorry, sorry..."

Suddenly, Echo's eye's began to open, and we all watched in silence. As she opened her mouth to speak, I heard more skates, and a shocked voice exclaim, "What _happened?_" Corn looked at the other GGs, shaking his head.

"You have _no _idea..."

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing, Hajaki! Any chance you'll be updating Roll Along soon? Anyway, reviews and the usual, please!


	4. Drowning

**Chapter 4 – Drowning**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own JSR, but I'm saving up. Bought myself a piggy bank and everything... Just kidding with you all, enjoy the chapter!

**Echo POV**

_Why do I always have to do this? _I thought as the surrounding area became a blur, speeding past me as I skated as fast as I possibly could. My movements were slightly hindered by the crutches that were keeping me upright, but it was still fast enough. All I knew was that I had to get as far away from the garage as I possibly could, for the GGs _own _sakes. I had managed to reach 99th Street with little difficulty, and headed towards the part of town still in the midst of a blackout, where I would be noticed less. What I really needed to do was stop and think- I couldn't afford to make any mistakes. There would be too many repercussions.

Velocity wasn't bothering to try and take us back to the garage- while we were still within reach of it, there was no point in her trying. At the moment, nothing had changed for her. I stopped by the bridge connecting the outskirts of 99th Street to the centre, clutching my side where I could feel a stitch coming on. I was already exhausted, and I wasn't sure how much further I could skate before I would need to rest. I knew that to even have a chance of slowing Velocity's plan, I would need to at least reach the Skyscraper District. I didn't know if even getting that far would stop her, but it was the best plan I had.

With a sigh, I re-adjusted the crutches in my hands and set off in the direction of the highway. Grinding wasn't easy, but I eventually managed to reach the top of Benten Tower. Rain was beginning to fall, only accentuating my desperation, soaking through the thin layer of clothes I was wearing. I wished more than anything that I could just go back to the garage, back to the place that was the only home I had been able to call my own in a time too long to think about. I knew I was becoming too attached to all of the GGs, and I was beginning to think that it was too late, that I had already sealed their fates.

The downpour of rain became thicker, and I wiped the water from my face, squinting to see ahead of me. In the distance, I could just see the lights of the Skyscraper District. Thinking of how long it had taken me to get there, I knew it wouldn't be enough. So what should I do? What _could _I do? I skated left, onto the mock-sandstone flooring of Pharaoh Park. I could barely see in front of me now, and I wasn't sure I would be safe going up the skyscrapers. I decided to go to the centre of Pharaoh Park to find some shelter and, yet again, consider my options. Velocity was laughing at me, and I tried to ignore her cruel voice, concentrating on getting to my destination.

By the time I noticed what was right in front of me, it was too late to turn back. The Immortals had me in their sight, and they were skating forwards more quickly than I could counteract. Even though I knew that in my current state, I could not run away, I still tried, spinning around and dashing forwards. I felt someone crash into me, and I fell to the ground, flinching as my head hit the floor. I heard the other skates come to a halt, and one of the skaters bent down to my level. They glared at me through the holes in their bandages. "What are you doing on our turf?"

I blinked at them stupidly, not entirely knowing what to say. Most of the time, I knew that the Immortals didn't often bother to kick skaters off their turf, but then again they were usually in bigger groups that posed a possible threat to them. I, however, was all alone, and injured, so I probably looked like a good target to show the other rudies who was boss. In my confused state of mind, I suddenly felt Velocity take over. She never _was _one to back away from a fight, and this time wasn't going to be any different. She threw the crutches I had still been holding away from her, one hitting the rudie who had been in front of us. He yelped in pain, clutching his face where the metal had hit it. Velocity turned to face the other two, smirking. "Taggers tag?"

The other two nodded, obviously deciding it would be best not to argue with her. She grinned, pulling out her spray can. "Well, then... Catch me if you can..." She shot of towards the highway, and I wondered what she was up to. It was almost as if she were running away, and that was something she would never do- but then I realised that she was luring them out of their comfort zone, back to 99th Street. I was surprised that they were following us- surely they had realised what she was doing? Maybe they thought they still had the advantage due to their numbers.

Velocity had no trouble staying ahead of the Immortals as she leaped onto the dragon coiled around Benten Tower, glancing back every now and then to make sure they were still following her. Suddenly, she flipped around, spraying the nearest rudie before surging into the crowd- but she stopped abruptly at the sight of three Rapid 99 girls stood in front of her. When she looked back, the Immortals had caught up- she was surrounded. Glaring at all the rudies, she shot into the air, using a boost dash to reach the lights above her. She caught hold of one and swung herself up, grinding towards the outskirts of 99th Street. The others were hot on her tail, and for once, I wasn't so sure she would be able to win the fight.

We were skating over the roofs now, but Velocity was getting tired. I could see the sparks from the other skaters out of the corners of my eyes, and I knew we wouldn't make it. Velocity did a 180 and began spraying at anywhere she could reach, her only goal to inflict as much pain as possible. She pulled out her dagger, and the other skaters recoiled slightly, not knowing if she would actually use it or not. I tried to make her drop it. It couldn't end like this- I didn't want to be remembered for something Velocity had done. I fought for control, and in her desperate state of mind, I was able to suppress her- but I had forgotten about my injuries.

The buildings below had dissapeared, revealing a stretch of dark, murky water. I wobbled on the thin light, beginning to fall. The knife fell out of my hand, spinning to the water in slow motion. A small splash sounded as it sliced through the water's surface, and I knew that I would soon share the same fate. I could only hope that I would bring Velocity down with me. If I could, maybe it was for the best... It would be kind of ironic for Velocity to suffer the same fate as her victims. That thought made me smile slightly.

Then- a flash of green. _Yo-_

**Yoyo POV**

I landed with a crash as I rolled off the sofa, groaning in pain and tiredness. I forced my eyes open, sitting upright. The sofa beside me was empty, and I frowned. At the corner of my vision, near the 99th Street entrance, I saw a flash of pink disappear. Echo? I reached beside me for my glasses, placing them over my eyes before standing up. Everyone else was still asleep, looking peaceful in their preffered sleeping places.

I tried to make as little noise as possible as I skated after her, all the while wondering what she was doing. Although I couldn't see her, I could hear the sound of skates against concrete, followed by the hiss of somebody grinding on metal. I rounded the corner, listening out for skates again. Both the sound and Echo had dissapeared by now, but I grinded down the dragon and scanned the crowd quickly. She was nowhere to be seen.

I set off towards the light side of 99th Street, deciding to make a loop around the city. The people in the tunnel seemed undisturbed, but that didn't necessarily mean that she hadn't gone this way- so I continued to skate, searching every bit of the darkness for her. I ended up at the exit to the darkened side of town, with nothing to show for my search. I kept wondering why she had left, feeling in a way abandoned. I knew it wasn't fair- she never _said _she was going to stay, and she had no reason to. But it was almost as if she had.

I sighed, turning to walk away- but I suddenly heard a group of skates grinding above me, and the sound of spray cans. They were moving closer and closer, and I skated backwards, trying to see what was going on. I began to see sparks, followed by a blur of pink. I realised who it was instantly, freezing in shock. Following Echo were six rudies- three Rapid 99s and Immortals, respectively. She was brandishing something at them, but she suddenly dropped it, overbalancing. The object glinted silver in the moonlight as it spiralled down, followed closely by its owner. There was no scream as she hit the water, disappearing beneath the murky depths- only a crash, followed by silence.

The other skaters had jumped of the lights and were peering down from the rooftops, faces painted with shock. Still, the water remained motionless. I didn't know what to do... But another part of my brain took control, urging me towards the water, telling me not to let her drown. It was a stupid idea, I knew, but even so, I pulled myself over the railing, pushing myself into the water. I was instantly pulled down by the weight of the skates still upon my feet, and I silently cursed. Why hadn't I taken them off?

I was distracted when I caught sight of Echo, unconscious at the bottom of the water. Beside her was the fallen object- a knife, silver in colour and jagged in shape. Her hand rested over its handle, limp and lifeless. I tried to ignore the blade, and what reason she could have for using it, and instead concentrated on picking her up. She felt much lighter and fragile than she seemed when she was back at the garage- the energy she always seemed to have about her was gone, lost at the bottom of the water with the silver dagger.

It took all the power I had to get us to the top of the water- again, I scolded myself for being an idiot and diving in without a second thought, when it could cost someone their life. I broke the surface of the water, breathing in the polluted city air. I could vaguely see the six skaters, still watching from the roof, not moving an inch. I swam over to the bridge and pulled myself over, still holding onto Echo. Once on the other side, I placed her on the floor, trying to feel for a pulse. Her skin was ice cold, but I could just feel a faint beating, a sign that she was still in some way there.

But was I too late?

**Echo POV**

Everything went black as I hit the water, feeling like I had smashed into a wall of solid concrete. The chilled water rushed over me, engulfing my entire body, freezing cold. I could no longer feel the pain of falling, but the numbness that had replaced it was worse. I had never really thought over what dying would be like, and now, as it seemed I was about to disappear, I knew that I wasn't ready. The numb feeling in my bones only highlighted the fact that I was dying, whereas the pain had assured me that I was alive and real.

The other thing that worried me about the numbness was that I had felt it before. It was the same feeling I was forced to endure every time Velocity took control of my body- the feeling of being trapped. I wasn't sure whether to pass it off as a result of my fall, or as an answer to the question I had always asked- would she survive? I could only do the thing I always resorted to in times like these- pray, and pray, and pray.

Through the sheet of fog that seemed to be surrounding me, I could feel something lifting me, pushing me against the water's current. Was this it? Was I about to die for good? I suddenly felt air on my skin, but the return of the pain was almost unbearable. My vision was still black, and although I tried to move, I found I was unable to. Someone was speaking to me, but the sound was blurred, each word merging into the next. The ground was beginning to feel far away again, the pain fading away.

My brain was suddenly filled with images, memories from all of my sixteen years of life. They flashed through my head at breakneck speed, and yet I found that I was able to retain each and every one with ease. Sometimes they would slow, and show my fondest memories- of family, friends, skating, spraying... That was how it used to be, back when I was alone. I suddenly came upon my earliest street memory- back when I met my first rudie. Neo.

I hadn't thought about her in an impossibly long time, and thinking of her again made me want to smile, laugh and cry all at the same time. I missed her and Tempo more than anything in the world, and though I knew Neo was still out there, I also knew that she would never forgive me for what I had done- and that was understandable. I was the reason her brother was dead, and that wasn't something she was going to forget too soon.

But now I had started, I couldn't stop thinking about her, and the days before I got caught, before Velocity was there. I couldn't help but feel that it was all my fault that this whole mess had started, and what I hated even more was that there was a lot more truth than lie in that statement. More and more memories of the siblings came into my head, not stopping or breaking for a second.

And my scream cut into the night air, tearing through the silence.

**? POV**

"_...And we're back to the funkiest station in the nation, JET SET RADIO! There is some craazy shit going down at 99th Street between the GG's orphaned ward and the denizens of the night districts! Turns out that Echo wasn't so injured after all, and she's got the Immortals and Rapid 99 all riled up! But is there more to this than we know? ...Whoa! News just in, Echo just got put out of action! Damn, she must have really pissed those undead mummies off. But what's this? Our favourite green haired rudie just staged a rescue? Well folks, I think you'd better get down there, 'cause it looks like there's gonna be a show for you tonight..."_

The announcement faded back into music, and I sped up, now knowing where to find her. I knew that she'd been too scared to find me, but she didn't know that I knew the whole story- it wasn't her fault. I couldn't just let this happen... The lights around me blurred into each other, and I dived into the air, landing on a railing in a swift motion. I was almost there, and I just hoped that I had been fast enough.

I could see two figures on the bridge up ahead, and I sighed in relief, glad I had made it. I skidded to a halt before them, and the green-haired boy looked up in confusion, blinking behind tinted glasses. I kneeled down, pressing my fingers against her neck. I sighed in relief when I felt a pulse, pulling away and standing up. The boy was giving me an almost expectant look, and I scrutinised his appearance. _Must be one of the GGs... _

"She's gonna be okay, you know." I said, taking note of his concerned expression. He glanced from me, to Echo, and back again.

"Do you know her?" He asked in a small voice. In my head, I smirked. I could give quite a few answers to _that _question. But I knew that this boy wasn't in the mood for joking, so I just gave him the simplified answer.

"Yes." He nodded slightly, looking back to the pink haired rudie beside him. _He obviously cares for her... And I do need to get the story to the GGs... _I thought it over in my head, wondering whether it would be a good idea to tell him what he would need to know, before it ruined his memory of Echo, and the GGs began to think of her and Velocity as one in the same.

From the way he was still hovering over her, I knew that I would have to tell him. I cleared my throat, and he looked back up, slightly surprised. "There are some things you need to know about her." He frowned, inclining his head to the side in a confused manner, and I took it as an invitation to continue. "I am Neo, rudie and ex-team mate of Echo... And I am here to tell you her story."

**A/N:** I'm sorry it took me so long to write this one, I was busy with school work, and I was at a concert on Saturday night. I'll start the next one as soon as I can, I promise! Read and review, please!


	5. Just Call Me Echo

**Chapter 5 – Stories Part 1 – "Just call me Echo."**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, so please don't sue. Thank you!

**A/N:** There's something I need to say before I start the chapters concerning Echo's story, as otherwise it might confuse you a bit. For the story to make sense, I need to tell Neo _and _Echo's views to the story or else parts of the story as a whole will be missing. So, the story will be told as kind of separate story, consisting of events that happened _before _the story of Jet Set Radio Future (and before the GGs formation). Just basically work on the fact that Yoyo gets the story from Neo's point of view.

_**2 Years Ago...**_

**Neo POV**

"TEMPO! How many times do I have to tell you not to wake me up with that goddamn radio!" I yelled in the direction of the music, unsuccessfully trying to bock out the sound with my pillow. I heard footsteps, and my little brother stuck his head out of the kitchen door, a mess of blue hair with a pair of sunglasses sticking out. Spotting the glasses, I rolled my eyes, sitting up straight, "Are you wearing _sunglasses_?" I asked sceptically, not sure if it was my tired mind playing tricks on me. Tempo crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Yeah, so what?" He muttered, and I giggled, getting up and stretching, before walking over to where he was stood.

"Because you look silly, that's what!" I said, pointing to his pyjamas and then to the shades, "Pyjamas and shades aren't exactly a _normal _combination, sweetie." He took off the offending glasses and glared at me, before stomping off back into the kitchen. I skipped in after him, my anger at his loud music now forgotten. I stole a piece of toast off his plate, and he didn't even bother to stop me, instead mumbling under his breath in a disgruntled manner. I just smiled at him sweetly.

"So, if you've finished stealing my food," Tempo said pointedly- to which I just grinned, "What are we doing today?" I tapped my chin thoughtfully, considering it. We'd recently tagged up Hikage street, so we didn't need to go there... And Shibuya was chaos at this time, so that was out of the question too... So that just left...

"99th Street. We need to go spraying, or else we're gonna lose it. And we can't lose our hometown, right?" I said, gesturing to the small but cosy flat around us. He nodded, standing up and dumping his plate into the already full sink. I raised an eyebrow, pointing to it, "I thought you said you were gonna do those last night?" He grinned sheepishly before darting out of the room. I sighed, shaking my head. I think I was starting to see that in the case of chores, my brother was a lost cause.

I stood up and walked over to the corner of the kitchen, where the small clothes airer stood. I grabbed all of the items off it and carried them back into the main room, which served as a bedroom and living room for the both of us. My brother was already dressed, sunglasses and all, and was spread out on the sofa, playing on our Xbox. As I passed him, I threw his laundry onto his head, and he swore loudly.

"That's for being an unhelpful jerk, Tempo. Live and learn, live and learn." I called over my shoulder as I stopped in front of the wardrobe, quickly placing all of my clothes inside. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie and my skates, before heading into the bathroom to get changed. Five minutes later, I emerged again, picking up the bag by the door.

"Oi, Tempo, catch." I called, throwing a few of the spray cans towards him. He caught them and tucked them into his pockets, standing up. By now I had re-zipped the bag and slung it over my shoulders, and was tying my hair up and adjusting the frequency on my headphones. When the familiar voice of Professor K began pouring into my ears, I stopped messing with them and walked over to the window. Ever since we had moved into our flat, neither me nor Tempo had ever used the front door to get in or out of the building. Right beneath our window was one of 99th Street's many neon wires, and we used that as our means of exit.

Hopping through the already open window, I began grinding down the wire, Tempo just behind me. Even though I lived there, and so did it every day, I still found skating through 99th Street in the daytime to be a strange experience. Without it's raucous crowds and bright, fluorescent lights, it seemed strangely... Lifeless.

I jumped off the wire and onto a roof where a large stretch of wall had been plastered with paint. The tag was unfamiliar, an abundance of bubblegum colours and cartoon-like images. It was kind of childlike, but there was something about it which made it perfect for the ragged, urban surroundings. Not that I was going to just leave it there- that would be like inviting the intruder in. No, it had to go. I shook up a blue paint can and began covering over the tag, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Tempo covering up another.

When I stopped and turned back to the wire, something in the alley below caught my attention. I gestured for Tempo to follow me, and I peeked over the edge of the roof. Down below, a girl with pink hair and skates was being cornered by three other rudies. The girl was talking fast, but the other rudies didn't seem to be listening, and they continued to advance. I was about to consider going down to help her, but then...

One of the males had reached his hand out towards her, the girl had punched him in the jaw. Even from my high up position, I could hear the crunch as her fist impacted with his face, and the guy swearing loudly. I glanced at Tempo, but he was still looking at the girl in awe. Unfortunately for her, the friends of the guy she had punched didn't look too happy, and one lunged out at her. As quick as a flash, she was behind him, tapping him on the shoulder. When he turned around, she punched him, too. The rudie stumbled away, swaying unsteadily on his skates.

The remaining skater glanced at his fallen comrades, and back to the girl. Seemingly thinking the better of it, he helped up his friends and quickly began to pull them away from the girl, glancing over his shoulder every now and again anxiously. She just stayed there, watching until they were completely out of sight. Afterwards, she let out a sigh of relief, and I saw her uncross her arms from their previously folded position.

"Do you think she's ok?" I asked, "I'd feel bad if I just left a fellow rudie injured..." Tempo rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth were curved into a small smirk.

"Sis, I'd normally say you were just being soft... But I have to admit, I want to meet this girl." He replied. I snorted, folding my arms.

"Don't think I don't know why, dear brother. Try anything on that poor girl, and you'll regret it." He glared, but it was half-hearted, "Heh, I'm not kidding. You've already seen her right hook. That's gotta hurt." He ignored my comment, lightly jumping onto the wire that led into the alley. I followed closely, and we came to a halt by a heavily marked billboard. The girl turned around at the sound of our skates, her face blank at first. Then, she smirked.

"You want a go too, huh?" She asked, looking us both up and down. I sighed. There she went, acting like the tough girl. I knew it from the way she flinched when she moved- she _was _in pain. I moved towards her slightly, and she raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to move again.

"That looks pretty bad." I said, pointing to her balled up fist. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she settled her gaze on my face.

"What's it to you?" She said in a cold voice. I sensed a hint of a threat in the comment, but I moved forwards again.

"We could help, we don't live far away." I offered, even though I knew it wasn't very likely she would accept the help. The girl laughed.

"And why do _you _care what happens to me?" She retorted, turning away when I didn't answer, "No thanks. I'm just fine on my own." She began to skate away.

"Hey, wait!" Tempo called, and the girl glanced back at him, "What's your name?" Continuing to walk at a slow pace, the words floated over her shoulder.

"Just call me Echo."

**A/N – Yes, it's short, but it's only meant to be an introduction into this part of the story. Yes, I fail for not posting in so long. And yes, you may attack me. I just need to get back into the creative spirit is all. I promise the next chapter will be longer, really. Reviews make me happy, so they are very welcome. Love you all! **


	6. And So The Team Is Born

**Chapter 6 - Stories Part 2 -And So The Team Is Born**

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately I _still _don't own Jet Set Radio. Poor me...

**Echo POV**

It had been three days since that fight. Three whole days, and my hand was still bruised black and blue. Sometimes, I really hated how stubborn I was. If I'd just let that rudie girl help me... _No, _I thought, shaking my head as if to rid the thoughts from my head. _I'm a rudie now. I need no-one. I'm just fine on my own._ Listening to myself just made me feel worse. I really was a pathetic excuse for a street kid.

Maybe it was just the loneliness that was making me act this way. I had considered joining a gang many times, but I had never actually gone and done it. _Well, maybe it's time to finally do it... _I stood up from the bench I had been resting on, stretching, before setting off at a leisurely pace down the street. From what I could tell, it was about seven pm, as 99th Street was no longer in sunlight. I guessed that was a good thing – most rudies only stopped by 99th Street at night-time, so my chances of finding potential teams were much better.

As I walked down the crowded side-street, I found my thoughts wandering back to the two rudies I had met the other day. _I wonder... _Making a detour down another street, I hopped onto a rail and grinded along it to pick up speed, before wallriding on a billboard and landing on one of the neon strands of light above. I came to a stop on the roof of one of the buildings above the alley I had been in that day. I had actually been up here just before the fight, doing some tagging.

I suddenly noticed that the tags on the walls had changed since I had last been here. My own graffiti had been completely covered over... I chuckled, inspecting the paint. _So, Neo and Tempo, huh? _I thought, putting two and two together, _So that's what those two were doing in the alley... _Pulling out a spray can and shaking it up, I began to cover up the new tags.

_Come out, come out, wherever you are..._

**Neo POV**

"Neo, you're a slave driver!" Tempo complained as he dragged his feet along behind me. I did a 180 and smirked at my exhausted brother, shaking my head. He didn't seem to realise that if we didn't tag up our turf on a regular basis, some big-headed noob was gonna come and take it from us.

"No, sweetie, you're just out of shape." I said, and he glared at me. I just smiled, turning around again and increasing my speed, "Anyhow, we're done for today, so stop complaining." Something told me that he was sticking his tongue out at me, but I decided to let it drop. We had just reached the exit to the highway that led onto Benten Tower, and I leaped off the edge, landing on the dragon and grinding down. I skidded to a halt and spun around, waiting for Tempo to arrive.

"You want to get some takeout?" I asked, and he just shrugged.

"Sure, whatever." I laughed. That was my brother, always _so _enthusiastic. I skated into one of the side streets, scanning down the street to check I had took the right turn. When I spotted the noodle shop on the end of the row, I smiled and headed off towards it, before slowing down so I wouldn't attract attention to the fact I was wearing skates. As soon as we exited the shop, Tempo began to eat. I rolled my eyes, punching him in the arm.

"God, you'd think I never fed you or something." I muttered, but he just continued to eat. I shook my head in disbelief, opening my own takeaway carton and separating the chopsticks I had picked up in the shop. I ate a few mouthfuls before closing the lid slightly so I could jump onto the light leading up to the roof which connected to our house. When I got there, I almost fell over in shock.

"Y-you're..." Stood in front of me, surrounded by some strangely familiar graffiti, was the girl from the other day. She grinned at me and waved. I felt Tempo bump into me, so engrossed in his eating that he hadn't even noticed that I had stopped moving, "The girl from yesterday..."

"That's me." She smiled, and out of the blue, Tempo pointed at her.

"You're that girl! Echo!" He exclaimed, his mouth full of noodles. I elbowed him sharply.

"I just _said _that, you moron." I hissed quietly, glancing at the girl apologetically. She just looked like she was desperately trying not to laugh, "And don't talk with your mouth full!" The girl suddenly burst out laughing, and both of us looked up in surprise.

"You two brother and sister, by any chance?" She asked, sounding incredibly amused by the whole situation. I rolled my eyes.

"Unfortunately, yes." I sighed. Tempo folded his arms (careful not to squash his noodles), glaring at me.

"You think you're unfortunate? I'm the one who has to put up with having a crazy bitch like you for a sister!" He spluttered, and I just smiled at him.

"Keep going, sweetie. You might just end up without a sister-"

"Good."

"And a home." He swore under his breath, and I just grinned triumphantly. I suddenly remembered that the girl was still stood with us. "Oh, sorry. We're probably making you think we're real freaks, right?" I laughed, and I heard Tempo mutter something quietly. The girl smiled brightly.

"No, no, not at all! It's actually just nice to be around people for once." As she finished her sentence, her expression changed, as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, yeah! I completely forgot to tell you why I'm here!" She exclaimed. I cocked my head to the side curiously. It hadn't really crossed my mind why she'd be here at this time of night, but I had to admit that now she'd brought it up, I was intrigued.

"Well, I was just wondering... Could I join you?" I was actually pretty surprised. Even though it was a pretty obvious statement, and one of the more viable reasons for why she'd be here, I hadn't guessed it wound be anything like this.

"You mean, like, form a gang?" I asked, not entirely sure if that was what she meant. She nodded.

"Of course you can!" Tempo exclaimed, diving out from behind me. I slapped him in the back of the head, and he backed up, muttering, "What was that for?".

"You can join, but we're gonna at least have to see if you're any good." I said, and Tempo instantly stopped sulking. I sighed. He was so _predictable. _I looked back at the girl.

"Yeah, that's fine. I was expecting something like that anyway." She said, nodding. I passed my takeaway noodles to Tempo, before reaching down and checking all the clasps on my skates were tight. I pulled up my striped socks, adjusted my gloves, and then straightened up again.

"Right. We'll do a race, from here, to Benten Tower, and back. You win, and you join us." I said, and the girl smirked, adjusting her own gloves.

"Sounds good to me." I turned and leaped off the edge of the roof, grinding down the wire before coming to a halt in the alley. The girl came down next, followed by Tempo (who was yet again stuffing his face with noodles). We lined up, side-by-side in the centre of the pavement. Tempo sat down on the floor by the neon light, placing my takeaway carton beside him. He swallowed the noodles he was eating.

"You want me to count down for you?" He asked, and I nodded as the girl said, "Sure". He didn't bother to stand up, instead placing his hands behing his head and leaning against the heavily vandalised wall.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

There was a short pause, and then, "...Go." Both of us activated the boost on our skates at the same time, sending us rocketing down the alley in a flurry of sparks and flames. Even now her boost dash had ended, the girl was managing to keep up with me quite easily. I had to admit, she wasn't too bad- I could tell from the way she was skating that she wasn't new to this.

I leaped onto a railing, and she followed suit, barely and inch behind me. Trying to shake her off and regain my lead, I jumped onto a nearby billboard and did a wallride, landing on a roof and doing another boost dash. I was a little surprised when I heard skates close behind me. I glanced back for a second, only to find that she was right behind me. I looked forwards just in time to see the end of the row of roofs, and I jumped off quickly, skating towards the large crowd heading into the town centre.

As I headed towards them, the pedestrians screeched and squealed, diving out of my way as if I was on fire or something along those lines. I rolled my eyes. The public were so blind, so easily influenced by whatever was fed into their ears by the media. And recently, what the media had been saying about us rudies wasn't too complimentary. Apparently, the man who'd bought out the police (not to mention most of the other organisations in Tokyo-to) had a real grudge against rudies. According to Professor K, some poor gang got chased by a _tank _last week._ A freaking tank. _Seriously, those guys needed to get their priorities straight...

I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts by a blast of air shooting past me, and I swore, realising it was the girl. I boosted again to make up my lost time, and soon caught up to the girl. We entered the square neck-in-neck, heading directly for the tower. As we sped across the water-covered floor, I tried to boost again, but remembered I had used up all my spray cans. I swore quietly, and tried to speed up a little without the boost. We rounded the tower quickly, and began to head back to the outskirts of town.

I kept a close eye on the girl, searching for any signs of fatigue- but she wasn't even out of breath. Soon, we were rounding the final corner, and there was still no clear winner. I saw Tempo stand up at the end of the alleyway, and I took a deep breath, pushing myself as fast as I could possibly go- but even with all my effort, she kept up, and we skidded to a halt side-by-side. I let out the air in my lungs, pushing my hair out of my face and looking back to the waiting rudie.

"I'd say that was a draw... You're pretty good." I said, grinning at her. She smiled back.

"Does that mean I'm in?" She asked, a hint of hopefulness leaking through into her voice.

"That means you're in." She sighed in relief, and I nodded slightly.

"Welcome to the team."

**A/N: **See, I'm being a good girl and updating again! I think I've finally got over my writer's block, thank god. It's been really frustrating, 'cause I've got the whole story planned out, but I just couldn't get it down onto paper! Blah! But it's all ok now. Anyhow, reviews are always appreciated. It means all those late hours don't go to waste. :) (Oh, and hi again Hajaki! Glad to see you're still reading this)


	7. Why Ice Cream And Cops Don't Mix

**Chapter 7 – Stories Part 3 – Why Ice Cream And Cops Don't Mix**

**Disclaimer:** I'm starting to think disclaimers are pointless... We _are _on after all, so it's pretty obvious that we don't own the game.

**Neo POV**

As I was about to head off home, a thought suddenly hit me, "Hey, do you need a place to crash?" I asked Echo, jumping onto the wire and beginning to grind up it.

"Yeah, actually I do." Echo said with a laugh as we came to a stop on the roof, "Recently I've had to sleep on a bench. Not very comfortable." I nodded, having tried that once before. It certainly _hadn't _been comfortable. I seem to remember falling off said bench, too...

"Well, you can come and stay with us, if you don't mind sleeping on the sofa." I offered, and Echo nodded slightly, smiling.

"I'd like that."

**Echo POV**

_Thump. _I awoke with a jolt as I hit the floor, blinking a few times against the thin strip of sunlight filtering through the curtains. _Wait- curtains? _I sat, staring at them for a moment, as I attempted to recall the events from the night before through my still-sleeping brain. All at once, it suddenly hit me. I sat up straight, peeking over the top of the sofa. Two beds were on the other side of the room, and both were occupied. I smiled slightly, the fact that I was no longer alone sinking in.

I looked down at my clothes, realizing I was still wearing my skating gear. Not that it was a surprise, I always slept in these. But I wondered if, now I lived with them, one of the siblings could lend me some stuff. I decided I'd ask later, when both of them were awake.

As I stood up, it suddenly hit me that I didn't even know their _names_. I chuckled to myself, finding the fact that I had just moved in with two strangers strangely amusing. I had thought my mother had taught me better, but apparently not. Not that I really cared; I felt a lot better knowing that I had a place to go back to now.

I opened one of the two doors that led off from the room, revealing the bathroom beyond. I eyed the shower longingly, trying to remember the last time I'd managed to have one without having to sneak into the swimming baths or the like. I glanced back at the sleeping rudies, then back to the inviting shower. _Ah, what the hell. I'm sure they won't mind..._

**Tempo POV**

_Beep! Beep! Bee- _I reached out and slammed my hand down on the alarm clock, sitting up and stretching. I glanced to my left, and sure enough, Neo was still sleeping- but when I looked over to the sofa, Echo had gone. I could just hear the faint sound of running water. _Ah, she's in the shower. _I stood up, not bothering to make my bed. I knew Neo would do it whenever she actually woke up anyway.

I walked into the kitchen, yawning, and switched on the kettle. Just as I was putting bread into the toaster, I heard the door open behind me. I turned around, but almost dropped the toast when I saw Echo in the doorway. Her pink her was damp and loose from the bun it had been in the day before, and she was just wearing one of my sister's towels from the bathroom. I shook my head to stop myself from staring, and turned back around to distract myself with preparing breakfast.

"You don't have a washing machine, do you?" She asked, and I nodded towards the left of the room. I heard her messing around with the dials on the machine, and then walk across the room so she was stood next to me. "What're you making?" She asked, turning off the steaming kettle. I shrugged, pointing to the toaster.

"Not much; just toast." I said, reaching up to get a mug out of the cupboard. I was about to shut the door, when I hesitated, glancing around it at Echo, "Do you want some coffee?" I asked. She looked slightly surprised, as if I'd knocked her out of her thoughts, but she smiled and nodded. I pulled out another cup along with the jar of coffee. When the coffee was ready, we both sat down at the small table in the kitchen. Echo looked slightly preoccupied, but I decided not to pry.

"So, are we doing anything today?" She suddenly asked, and I shrugged. Neo was normally the one who organized where we went tagging and stuff, but on days when we didn't need to do any, I normally just wandered around Dogenzaka Hill, Shibuya Terminal and Chuo Street.

"If Neo isn't planning on doing any tagging or anything, I was just gonna go practice some tricks near the bus terminal. You could come, if you wanted to." I suggested, and she grinned.

"Yeah, sure. If it's nice, we could always get some ice cream. I know an awesome place in Dogenzaka I always go to." She said, and I grinned back at her. Just then, Neo walked through the door, looking incredibly tired. She opened her mouth to speak, but I just pointed towards the coffee. She gave me a sort of tired smile, dragging herself across the kitchen.

"She isn't a morning person, huh?" Echo whispered to me, and I just shook my head, bemused. Echo chuckled, "I'll try to remember that." She finished off her coffee, standing up and walking towards the sink. She looked over at Neo, "We're going to Shibuya in a bit. You coming?" Without really noticing I was doing it, I shook my head at my sister quickly, and I saw her raise an eyebrow at me. She took a small sip of her coffee before answering.

"Nah, it's alright. I've got some stuff I need to do today." She grinned in my direction, winking, "You kids have fun." I narrowed my eyes at her slightly, and she laughed. Echo looked between us, a bit confused, but seemingly decided to shrug it off. Suddenly, her eyes widened, as if she'd suddenly remembered something.

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot!" She exclaimed, "It'll sound kind of stupid, but... What are you called?" She asked, laughing. I hadn't really noticed that we hadn't told her, but then again, she'd never really asked.

"Well, I'm Neo." Said my sister, taking another long sip of coffee, "And that, is-"

"Tempo. It's Tempo." I cut in. Echo nodded, smiling.

"Cool names. And the second thing-" She looked at Neo with a slightly sheepish expression on her face, "I couldn't borrow some clothes, could I? I only had what I was wearing, and I just put them in the wash." Neo nodded calmly, pointing towards the other room.

"Just help yourself to any of my stuff, it's all in the wardrobe." She said, and Echo looked relieved. I rolled my eyes.

"She probably wouldn't notice if you took it anyway. She owns so much stuff there's barely room for me to put my own." I muttered, avoiding my sister's sharp look. Echo giggled, before pushing herself up from the sideboard she'd been leaning on.

"Alright, I'll go get ready then."

***

"-No, I'm _telling _you, triple chocolate chip with fudge sauce beats pistachio _every _time." Echo insisted as we exited the ice cream store on Dogenzaka Hill's main street. I shook my head, waving my own ice cream in front of her and pointing at it.

"I'm pretty sure that this ice cream could beat yours anyday... But just to be sure, maybe I should taste yours?" I asked with a sly grin. She hit me on the arm lightly, sticking her tongue out at me before taking another lick of her ice cream.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, you sneaky little beggar! You want free ice cream!" She accused, hugging the chocolate ice cream to her in a theatrical way. I shook my head innocently, taking a bite out of my own ice cream.

"I don't know _what _would give you that idea." I said, and she shook her head, grinning, before holding out the ice cream.

"Because I'm _so _generous, you can have some." She said dramatically, and I laughed, shaking my head and returning to my own ice cream. I was just getting to the cone when I heard the music in my headphones suddenly come to a halt. I paused, wondering if it was just me, but then I saw Echo messing with her headphones with a confused look on her face. Out of nowhere, the familiar voice of DJ Professor K came blasting through the radio.

_And we're back to the grooviest station on air- Jet Set Radio! Just a little warning for any of you little rudies hanging around Dogenzaka Hill, apparently those freaky new cops are heading your way! You might want to get out of there, 'cause I heard they've got some psycho new captain in charge of them, and he's one _nasty _piece of work. The rest is up to you, my protégées!_

I glanced at Echo, but she was already grinding down one of the rails, heading towards the entrance to Shibuya Terminal. I could just about hear the sirens now, but what worried me was how loud they were getting. That could only mean that they were almost here, and we were only about a quarter of the way to our exit.

As we reached the break in the rails, I heard shouting, and looked behind me. A few of the cop vehicles had got ahead of the others, and I could just see the troops jumping out of the back. When I saw how many there were, I couldn't help but be shocked. To say that they were only chasing after two rudies (as far as I knew), their numbers were _massive._

And _then, _there was the guy running in front of the cars. He was holding what looked like a gun. A _gun. _What the hell did they need a gun for? I guessed that he was the psycho captain that Professor K had mentioned, and I could see why he'd warned us about him. Even if that gun only shot something like rubber or plastic bullets, I could imagine they'd still leave a hell of a bruise.

I looked back in front of me, and found that the Shibuya entrance was just a short rail away. If we could get into Shibuya, then we could take the shortcut to 99th Street and lose them easily. We shot down the street, no longer stopping to look behind us.

We only stopped when we reached 99th Street. By then, we were both gasping for breath, exhausted. I looked up, and Echo was frowning at something in her hand.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to see what it was. She held up the object, pouting. It was an empty ice cream cone.

"I dropped my ice cream!"

**A/N:** Yay! I'm on a roll! But after writing about ice cream, I want some myself... Ahh! It's like one am and I'm hungry! Jeez, I must have something wrong with me. Anyhow, review, please!


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